As humanity is at the brink of making some of the most important decisions with regards to a sustainable future, for example, do we give up technology or animal agriculture… I think everyone’s decisions are slowly being made so that we can retain innovation and remove the violence and toxic problematic nature of animal agriculture, so I wanted to talk about cars as innovation and technology.
I grew up with a dad and brother who are F1 fans and motoring enthusiasts, so of course it rubbed off a little bit, I drive a 2004 Jeep Wrangler (just shot my NEO 10Y video for Reality Check video in it too) which is cute because it’s old, but problematic because it literally falls under the T-zone charge in London because of its age. I’m obviously on a personal mission to reduce my carbon footprint/output as a human as much as possible (hi vegans), so the upside of the Wrangler falling into the T-zone category is that I barely drive it.
That said, is collecting cars you barely drive ok in our newly realised version of Northern Europe? I guess to some extent it might be in the future, but honestly I would rather give the money to charity at this stage. Owning a supercar isn’t exactly a requirement, but they are an experience to cruise in and a revelation of modern and historic technology combined. So where do you find the balance? A regular car hasn’t ever really been the most exciting vehicle to drive for me personally, but what is a regular car these days? Is it just a way to get from A to B or is it a way to help regain some control over your emissions? Although it’s not everyone gets out A Beginner’s Guide to Ford Transit Custom Sport and modifies it to suit their needs? A so-called “regular car” isn’t an exciting thing, but for those people who want to have one foot in the technological age without spending thousands on a supercar is to stick to something that, at the very least, is trying to curb its emissions and is trying to save the planet in more subtle ways. But is this enough?
The end game for the planet and myself is to go electric for day to day use, be that with a Tesla ideally. Which falls under the socially conscious, reliable, practical and economically efficient bracket. Driving a supercar is going to give you the time of your life though, in a sense of experiencing the old world. Those very same cars also need some tender loving care, in terms of maintenance. Nevertheless, if you want to experience a supercar and have an insatiable craving for reaching speeds of 100mph on the roads and feeling that retro sense, I’d recommend a Ferrari 488.
The question is, do we get to keep the novelty of these vehicles and small number plates as we progress in consciousness, and can you emotionally offset the impact with what you physically consume? Where does that balance lie?
Remember a vegan lifestyle is the most efficient way to directly reduce your carbon footprint without affecting the awesome technology such as cars that have been created, and a way to overturn a lot of the problematic patriarchy controls. You can also calculate your personal carbon emissions here.